Bucks Council leader slams Government's homebuilding plans

Labour plans to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, including on lower quality Green Belt land that the party has dubbed the ‘Grey Belt’.

However, Councillor Tett warned that Labour had not properly defined its plans as he addressed councillors during a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday morning.

He told the meeting: “Nobody knows what Grey Belt is. It is described as a petrol station in Tottenham. I have significant concerns about reclassifying Green Belt.”

He added: “We will be here to protect our residents and speak out on issues that negatively effect our residents.”

Labour has said the Grey Belt is poor-quality land such as car parks and waste land, which is currently designated as Green Belt, however the party has not defined it much more than that.

The Green Belt is a planning tool that was originally introduced to control the urban sprawl of London and act as a buffer between towns, and between towns and the countryside.

Labour has pointed to sites that cannot be developed for new homes because they are currently designated as Green Belt, such as a disused garage in Tottenham.

The new Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to focus on Grey Belt land and brownfield sites – those previously developed but no longer used – to deliver Labour’s housing targets.

Grey Belt is not an official term but one coined by the leading party.